Ottawa Citizen: “All Greeks Love Greece, But Everyone Wants Out”

Canadian newspapers have been paying particular attention to developments in our country. An interesting article by Matthew Fisher under the title ‘All Greeks love Greece. But everyone wants out. Country’s loss could be Canada’s gain’, describes the increasing unemployment rates among young people with a high level of  education recorded in Greece and their aspiration to flee their homeland.

“Greeks may be fiercely patriotic, but with youth unemployment topping 25 per cent and economic growth declining, an ominous number of young Greeks want out. And many are looking at English-speaking countries,” explains the Canadian journalist adding that the Federal Government of Canada is planning to absorb 250,000 migrants particularly English- and French-speaking with official language certificates from recognized universities. According to the story, Canada is following Australia’s example when it comes to migration policies.

Matthew Fisher reports that Greeks have their children learn English so that they can have a broader education probably hoping that Greece could become more competitive on a world scale. “It was never Greece’s intention, but it has inadvertently provided a generation of talented young Greeks with the means to escape from the country’s rapidly shrinking economy. Greece’s calamity may be Canada’s opportunity,” Fisher explains.

The story explains that high unemployment rates have led many of Greece’s young people to work in European capitals or make plans for moving abroad.

Using examples from interviews with citizens of Athens, Fisher highlights the often secret desire of Greeks to flee their country seeking a better future. He also notes that Greeks prefer European countries and Schengen areas mostly in order to avoid the massive red tape typically involved with applying to such destinations such as Canada and the US.